The conflict in the Persian Gulf began on Aug. 2, 1990, after talks
between representatives from Iraq and Kuwait did not resolve grievances
over oil pricing. On that date, Iraq's president -- Saddam Hussein --
sent his armies to invade Kuwait. The small, defenseless country was
no match against Iraq. The Iraqi troops crushed Kuwait and brutalized
its people.

Operation Desert Shield Ordered

On the day of Kuwait's invasion, President George Bush immediately placed
a U.S. economic embargo against Iraq. The United Nations Security Council
quickly followed suit. On Aug. 7, after Saddam Hussein refused to remove
his troops from Kuwait, President Bush ordered Operation Desert Shield
to begin. The goal: liberate Kuwait and force the aggressors back to
Iraq.

Headquarters U.S. Central Command would direct the coalition of allied
forces against Saddam Hussein. Under the command of Army Gen. H. Norman
Schwarzkopf, CENTCOM immediately set preplanned preparations in motion.
CENTCOM's function: to coordinate U.S. force deployment to the Persian
Gulf region to help defend Saudi Arabia and provide security to other
Arab states.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles A. Horner, the allied coalition's supreme
air commander, began coordinating all air actions related to the buildup,
and within days, established Headquarters Central Command Air Forces
(Forward) in Saudi Arabia. From this headquarters the air actions that
would bring an end to the war were put into operation.

Five fighter squadrons, a contingent of AWACS, and part of the 82nd
Airborne Division moved into the theater within five days. In total,
25 fighter squadrons flew non-stop to the theater. Within 35 days the
Air Force deployed a fighter force that equaled Iraq's fighter capability
in numbers.

In late August, President Bush signed an order authorized members of
the armed forces reserves to be called up for active duty. Throughout
the campaign, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members flew and
maintained aircraft for strategic and tactical airlift, fighter and reconnaissance
operations, as well as tanker support.

Operation Desert Storm Begins

Airpower Launched

Efforts by the U.N. Security Council to find a peaceful resolution with
Iraq proved futile. On the morning of Jan. 15, an 11th-hour appeal by
the council for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait drew silence -- at 12 noon
the deadline for peace had passed.

The next day -- Jan.
16 -- Operation Dersert Storm began as allied forces answered Iraq's
silence. Coalition aircraft "surgically" bombed
key Iraqi military targets such as heavily-fortified command and communications
centers, missile launch sites, radar facilities, and airports and runways.
Iraqi ground forces were under heavy day-and-night air attack from that
day on.

Great care was taken to focus on military targets. Within 10 days of
offensive operations, air sorties reached the 10,000 mark. The coalition's
intensive airpower had crippled or destroyed Iraq's nuclear, biological
and chemical weapons development programs, its air defenses, its offensive
air and ballistic missile capability, and its internal state control
mechanisms.

Kuwait Liberated

By Feb. 25, spearheaded by the U.S. Air Force, airpower's rain of explosives
had forced thousands upon thousands of Iraqi soldiers to abandon their
stockpiles of equipment, weapons and ammunition and surrender -- airpower
had done its job. Two days later -- Feb. 27 -- the Iraqi military was
scattered and defeated -- Kuwait was liberated!

Conflict Officially Over

Although hostilities ceased with Iraq's defeat, it was not until April
11, when Suddam Hussein agreed to the terms of the U. N. Security Council
Resolution No. 678, that the conflict was declared officially over.

Support of Combat Forces

Personnel

During Operation Desert Shield/Storm, more than 55,000 Air Force personnel
deployed to the theater. They in turn were supported by thousands of
their compatriots throughout the Air Force who kept supplies, food, equipment,
communications, information, plans, and medical support coming to them
throughout the conflict.

Civil Engineering and Community Services

Air Force civil engineers erected more than 5,000 tents, built buildings
totaling more than 300,000 square feet, and laid more than 1,600,000
square feet of concrete and asphalt during Operation Desert Shield/Storm.
Meanwhile, the Air Force's community services men and women also supported
Desert Shield/Storm by serving more than 20 million meals.

Medical Support

The Air Force deployed 15 air transportable hospitals with a 750-bed
capacity and one 1,250-bed contingency hospital to the theater in support
of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Four Air Force contingency hospitals
in Europe with 3,250 beds, and 20 casualty reception hospitals in the
United States with 12,178 beds, also were readied to save lives. In addition,
more than 5,200 medical personnel deployed to the theater and to Europe
to support these efforts. Patient visits in the theater amounted to almost
48,000 during Desert Shield/Storm.

Command and Control

Desert Storm employed a wide variety of new space and intelligence assets
to ease mission planning, command and control of the air war, provide
real-time identification of ground targets for shooters, and assure the
coalition gained and maintained the initiative. Both space and intelligence
platforms were force multipliers in Desert Storm.

Space Support

Defense Meteorological Support

The Defense Meteorological Support Program accurately predicted weather
and was critical in Desert Storm since during that period the area experienced
the worst weather in 14 years.

Global Positioning System

Although the constellation of satellites is still under development,
U.S. forces had Global Positioning System navigation available in three
dimensions for 20 hours each day, and in two dimensions 24 hours a day
in Desert Shield/Storm. Despite featureless terrain, GPS allowed accurate
navigation to targets.

Defense Satellite Communications System

The Defense Satellite Communications System provided secure voice and
data communications for more than 100 ground terminals for Desert Shield/Storm
commanders.

Intelligence Systems

Mission Support System

Mission Support System provided integrated mission planning support
for Air Force pilots. While it took a couple of days to plan a mission
in Vietnam, in Desert Storm it was possible to prepare a pilot for a
mission in four hours. Charts, maps, threats and other vital data were
integrated through this system into every squadron involved. Through
its reliability, it became a command and control asset for planners in
CENTCOM. In addition, many units found innovative and creative ways to
better use this asset.

Tactical Digital Facsimile

Tactical digital facsimile was critical to crews and commanders. It
provided the capability to send high resolution pictures and other data.
It prove to be a secure, reliable and versatile force multiplier which
relayed near real-time data, vital to combat success. Much maligned before
the war, the investment was well worth the money. Tactical digital facsimile
was today's telephone to the modern battlefield commander.

Airborne Warning and Control System

From Jan. 16 until the Feb. 27 cease-fire, four U.S. Air Force AWACS
aircraft were continuously airborne controlling more than 3,000 coalition
sorties each day. As a tribute to their effectiveness, despite having
to control aircraft flown by pilots from numerous air forces speaking
several languages, not one case of air-to-air fratricide was reported.

Joint-STARS E-8

Although still in development, two Joint-STARS' (USAF-Grumman Joint
Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) test aircraft flew 54 combat
sorties and supported all mission taskings with a system availability
rate of more than 80 percent. One of the two aircraft was in the air
every day, tracking every vehicle that moved on the ground. Joint-STARS
identified and targeted Scud missiles and launchers, convoys, trucks,
tanks, surface-to-air missile sites and artillery pieces for coalition
aircraft.

The Airlift

Strategic Airlift

The strategic airlift to the Persian Gulf was the largest since World
War II. By the cease-fire, Air Force airlifters had moved 482,000 passengers
and 513,000 tons of cargo. Viewed in ton miles, the airlift of Operation
Desert Shield/Storm was equivalent to repeating the Berlin Airlift --
a 56-week operation -- every six weeks.

C-5 and C-141 Aircraft

Air Force C-5 and C-141 aircraft moved 72 percent of air cargo and one-third
of the people, while commercial aircraft moved the rest. Ninety percent
of Air Force C-5s were used in Desert Shield/Storm, as were 80 percent
of C-141s. The rest were flying high-priority missions elsewhere around
the world.

Civil Reserve Air Fleet

The Persian Gulf crisis saw the first activation of CRAF, the Civil
Reserve Air Fleet, since its inception 38 years ago. The commercial aicraft
are a major arm of the Department of Defense airlift capability, nearly
doubling U.S. long-range airlift in emergencies. CRAF provided 95 passenger
and 63 cargo aircraft for Operatio Desert Shield/Storm, moving military
passengers and cargo to the combat zones.

Theater Airlift

C-130 Aircraft

More than 145 C-130
aircraft were deployed in support of Desert Shield/Storm. These aircraft
moved units to forward bases once they arrived in the
theater. From Aug. 10 to the cease-fire, Air Force C-130s flew 46,500
sorties and moved more than 209,000 people and 300,000 tons of supplies
within the theater. They provided logistical support, medical evacuation
of the wounded, and battlefield mobility once the fighting started. During
the "100-hour" ground campaign, C-130s flew more than 500 sorties
a day.

Air Refueling

KC-135 and KC-10 Aircraft

During Operation Desert Shield/Storm, the Air Force deployed 256 KC-135s
and 46 KC-10 to the Persian Gulf. Air Force tankers refueled every aircraft
of every service -- fighter, bomber, airlift, AWACS, or Joint-STARS.
Some allied forces also used Air Force tankers to do their mission. More
than enough fuel was offloaded to fill the gas tank of every private
and commercial and publicly owned automobile in Texas and Oklahoma.

Special Operations

Elements of all Air Force Special Operations Command units deployed
to Desert Storm and performed a variety of crucial missions, including
infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of Special Operations Forces
teams on direct action missions. Missions also included rescue of downed
crew members, psychological operations broadcasts, dropping 15,000-pound
bombs and supporting counter-terrorist missions.

AC/EC/MC/HC-130 Aircraft and MH-53J Pave Low Helicopters

More than 50 of Special Operations Forces assets were deployed, including
helicopters and AC/EC/MC/HC-130s. These assets flew more than 830 missions
to support CENTCOM. Crews recovered downed crew members and provided
valuable target identification and human intelligence work. MH-53J Pave
Low helicopters also acted as pathfinders during the first hours of the
war. One AC-130 was lost during the war.

Air Force Combat Aircraft

F-15 Eagle

During Operation Desert Shield/Storm, 120 F-15C/D's deployed to the
Persian Gulf and flew more than 5,900 sorties. Every Iraqi fixed-wing
aircraft destroyed in air-to-air combat, including five Soviet-made MiG-29
Fulcrums, were downed by F-15C's. No coalition aircraft were lost to
Iraqi fighters.

F-15E Strike Eagle

Forty-eight F-15E's were deployed to the Gulf and flew more than 2,200
sorties in support of Desert Shield/Storm. Only two were lost in combat.
They were used to hunt Scud missiles and launchers at night, employ laser
systems to hit hard targets, and attack armored vehicles, tanks and artillery.
Primary targets included command and control centers, armor, electrical
facilities, Scuds and road interdiction. F-15E's used the LANTIRN navigation
and targeting pods with spectacular results.

A-10 Thunderbolt II

The Air Force sent 144 A-10s to the theater. While flying only 30 percent
of the Air Force's total sorties, these aircraft achieved more than half
of the confirmed Iraqi equipment losses and fired 90 percent of the precision-guided
Maverick missiles launched during Desert Storm. They demonstrated versatility
as daytime Scud hunters in Iraq and even recorded two helicopter kills
with their 30mm guns. Although A-10s flew more than 8,000 sorties in
Desert Storm, only five were lost in combat in a very high-threat environment.

F-117 Stealth Fighter

F-117s flew more than 1,250 sorties, dropped more than 2,000 tons of
bombs, and flew more than 6,900 hours during Desert Storm. They were
the only aircraft to bomb valuable strategic targets in downtown Baghdad
and did so with unprecedented accuracy, limiting collateral damage and
civilian casualties. F-117s operated with impunity in the skies over
Iraq and not one was touched by enemy air defenses.

B-52 Stratofortress

The role of the conventional bomber was revalidated in Desert Storm.
B-52s flew 1,624 missions, dropped 72,000 weapons (totaling more than
25,700 tons) on targets in Kuwait and southern Iraq, and on airfields,
industrial targets and storage areas in Iraq. Despite being more than
30 years old, B-52s turned in higher reliability rates in Desert Storm
then during operations in Vietnam. In total, they dropped 31 percent
of all U.S. bombs and 41 percent of all Air Force bombs dropped during
the conflict.

F-111

With its Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) and laser designation
system, F-111F's attacked chemical, biological and nuclear sites. The
aircraft also attacked airfields, bunkers, command, control and communications
facilities, and parts of the integrated air defense system with great
success. F-111F's flew more than 4,000 sorties in Desert Storm and only
one was damaged by enemy air defenses.

EF-111s Raven

The 18 EF-111 Ravens deployed in support of Desert Storm flew more than
900 sorties. Effective jamming by EF-111s negated the Iraqis' ability
to track, acquire, and target attacking aircraft.

F-4G Wild Weasel

The 48 F-4G Wild Weasels deployed to the theater in support of Desert
Storm flew 2,500 sorties. As a testament to the effectiveness of the
F-4G's with their high-speed anti-radar missiles (HARM), the Iraqis did
not use their sector operations centers and radars because if a system
was on for more than a few seconds, operators risked the return of a
HARM missile.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

The F-16 Fighting Falcon proved itself to be a versatile aircraft able
to attack targets both day and night, in good or bad weather. The Air
Force's 249 F-16s deployed to the Gulf flew more than 13,450 sorties
-- more than any other aircraft in the war. They attacked Iraqi equipment
in Kuwait and southern Iraq, flew missions against Scud missiles and
launchers, and destroyed interdiction targets such as military production
and support, chemical production facilities, and airfields.

Air Force Role in Desert Storm

Total U.S. Air Force Sorties

From D-day to cease-fire, the U.S. Air Force flew 59 percent of all
sorties with 50 percent of the aircraft and had 37 percent of the losses.
The overall mission capable rate of Air Force aircraft was 92 percent
-- higher than the peacetime rate.

Precision-Guided Munitions

U.S. pilots used precision-guided munitions with deadly effectiveness
in Operation Desert Storm. They dropped 7,400 tons. The Air Force was
responsible for approximately 90 percent of the total PGMs dropped.

GBU-12

GBU-12 laser-guided bombs were employed by F-111s to destroy more than
200 tanks a night during the last weeks of the war. (GBU-12s weigh 500
pounds).

GBU-15

GBU-15 electro-optical glide bombs were used by F-111s to destroy the
oil manifolds to stop oil from flowing into the Persian Gulf after Saddam
Hussein's forces opened the valves. (GBU-15s weigh 2,000 pounds).

GBU-27 laser-guided bombs were used by F-117s to hit hard targets such
as aircraft shelters, bunkers in Baghdad. (GBU-27s weigh 2,000 pounds).

AGM-65

AGM-65 Maverick missiles were employed by F-16s and A-10s to attack
armored targets. Mavericks played a large part in the destruction of
Iraq's significant military force. Before Operation Desert Storm, Iraq
had more tanks than Great Britain and Germany combined. With the precision
capability of America's aircraft, one $70,000 Maverick equated to a $1.5
million T-72 tank, since it only took one missile to destroy each Iraqi
tank.

The Iraqi Air Threat

At the beginning
of Desert Storm, coalition air forces faced a formidable enemy. Iraq
had 750 combat aircraft, 200 support aircraft, Scud surface-to-surface
missiles, chemical and biological weapon capability, "state-of-the-art" air
defenses, 10 types of surface-to-air missiles, around 9,000 anti-aircraft
artillery pieces and thousands of small arms. The Iraqi air force had
24 main operating bases and 30 dispersal fields, many equipped with the
latest in hardened aircraft shelters.

U.S. Air-To-Air Kills

Air Force fighters were credited with 36 of the 39 Iraqi fixed-wing
aircraft and helicopters downed during Desert Storm.

Air Force missiles also played a major role in air-to-air kills:

AIM-7 Sparrow

The radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow proved to be the most potent air-to-air
weapon. Air Force-launched Sparrows downed 22 Iraqi fixed-wing aircraft
and three helicopters.

AIM-9 Sidewinder

The AIM-9 Sidewinder worked as advertised. The heat-seeking Sidewinders
launched from Air Force fighters put the bite on eight Iraqi aircraft.

Iraqi Air Force Losses

Iraq lost 90 aircraft to coalition air forces, 39 of them in air-to-air
combat; six were lost in accidents; 16 were captured or destroyed by
coalition ground forces; 122 were flown to Iran -- a confirmed total
loss of 234 aircraft.

In addition to confirmed losses, of Iraq's 594 hardened aircraft shelters,
375 were damaged or destroyed by coalition bombing. It is estimated that
141 aircraft were destroyed in these shelters.

Value of Stealth

Without stealth, a typical strike mission requires 32 planes with bombs,
16 fighter escorts, eight Wild Weasel aircraft to suppress enemy radar,
four aircraft to electronically jam enemy radar, and 15 tankers to refuel
the group. With stealth technology the same mission can be accomplished
with only eight F-117s and two tankers to refuel them. Stealth technology
combined with precision guided munitions puts far fewer aircraft at risk
and saves lives -- both aircrews and innocent civilians.

Global Reach/Global Power

Operation Desert Shield/Storm served to stress the need for air superiority,
modern airlift and rapid power projections; and validated the Air Force's
planning framework -- Global Reach/Global Power. Desert Shield/Storm
also proved to be a large-scale practical test of the Total Force Policy
-- maximizing military capability through the optimum mix of active and
reserve forces.